Need Feedback...

Hi All -- I need some commentary here. I have been increasingly thinking of jumping ship from the environmental field because, well, it's depressing (let me know if you want me to elaborate, I just want to stay on topic here. I've thought somewhat seriously about getting into teaching science (manipulating the young minds, and, not going unnoticed, the chance to work at the bar in the summer as well as riduculously better vacation time) , going into retail (opening the fruit stand), and a variety of other options with a varying degree of actualy potential.

I would like to take this opportunity to pose a new option for your commentary: redouble my efforts. This comes from the basic theory that if I were better at it, I'd be able to continue in the field which I love. There are elements of becoming more specialized involved, along with being more knowledgeable, both of which would help me, say, have a conversation about climate change or anything relating to China without collapsing into tears for the future of modern civilization.

So here it is:
Masters in Economics from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Most likely not starting in the fall, but maybe in January 2006. Here is the kicker: this isn't an economic (no pun intended) decision, since my current employer will pay for the whole thing as long as I maintain a 3.0 - there is incentive there. The catch is that I need to stay for a full year after the last reimbursement check clears (after my last class ends), or i need to pay them back some portion of the money they spent. There would, therefore, be a benefit to starting this fall, but I probably can't handle it. I love my school free life right now. I do feel like sooner is better than later though, since I've got a little momentum going right now. I think January 06 is fair.

So here is what I'd like to hear opinions on, if you have them...
1) Options: redoubling the effort, waiting it out for a while to see how you feel, or quitting now and opening a fruit stand
2) MA Economics vs. other degrees (like MBA, or something)
3) University of Colorado? I'm not looking for a big name here, but if CU is really low on the list of schools for economics and you know it, now would be a good time to mention it.

Okay, thanks for any help you can give -- either here or calling me :)

Liz

California

I'm just back from california, where i had a great weekend with Katie and Jason, and got to see Izet, Brian (and his brother Jason, and his girlfriend Chanel(le)). It was awesome. Check out the beach 3 person selves portrait. Also, I'm adding one for the disney-philes of the disney headquarters. I'm in denial about going back to work tomorrow.

Blogspot is reading my mind...

Check it out, I can upload pictures! This one is of the new chair in my living room. Isn't it the kind of ugly that can only be described as beautiful? I saw another one today at some store mom described as "oh, that's not a good place." I think she meant as an antique store. It's a green chair, and doesn't match at all. If it's less than 15$, it's coming home with me.

This is funny...

I haven't had a lot of time to post - but I just got this email forward from a coworker of mine, and found this particular joke very funny:

CONSTITUTION
>
> They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for more than 200 years and we're not using it anymore.
>

he he he.

sonofa...

I'm weeding.. Not right now, it's gotten too dark, but I went on some sort of spree about 2 hours ago, and I think I managed to killl about everything in a part of the garden. I have to say that although some might fault my theory of once a summer gardening ("I'll show those bugs living in the soil independance!"), it does make for minimal decisionmaking when the good plants are all tied up with the bad ones.

I'm surprised at the number of bugs. I feel like they are all over me, which explains why avid gardeners aren't often on acid -- they don't need hallucinations, there actually are bugs everywhere.

I'm also suprised at the errant tree growing in my back yard. I don't know how it got there, and it certainly wasn't there before, but now it's huge, and must be dealt with. Tomorrow. I guess it's back to the home improvement store (HIS - it get's an acronym, because i think I'll be using it a lot) for some more heavy duty equipment. As an ecologist, I have to wonder if the tree itself is errant or if I'm just looking at it the wrong way. But, I'll have to wonder that as I mercilously rip it out of the ground in the morning.

oh, and i bought a sprinkler. A cheap one. I have learned my first official lesson from experience in the garden: a cheap hose and cheap sprinkler are just that. Keep this in mind kids: when staring at the selection of hoses at the HIS, $20 is NOT too much to spend on something you can't wear.